Slice collector for slicing machines



April 29, 1930, J. FOLK 1,756,149

SLICE COLLECTOR FOR SLICING MACHINES Filed July 1'7, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet1 April. 29, 1930. J, FOLK 1,756,149

SLICE COLLECTOR FOR SLICING MACHINES Filed July 17 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2April 29, 1930. FOLK 1,756,149

SLICE COLLECTOR FOR SLICING MACHINES 1 Filed July 1'7 1926 4Sheets-Sheet 3 April 1 3 J. FOLK 7 1,756,149

' SLICE COLLECTOR FOR SLICING' MACHINES F il-edJuly 17, 1926' 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 29, late JOSEPH FOLK, OF LA PORTE, INDIANA,ASSIGNOR TO U. S. SLICING MACHINE COM- IPANY, OF LA FORTE, INDIANA, ACORPORATION OF INDIANA v SLICE COLLECTOR FOR SLICING MACHINESApplication filed. July 17,

This invention relates to means for collecting and assembling the slicesas'they are formed by a machine for slicing meat or other material, andhas for its object the provision of such a device which shall be ofimproved construction and operation, which shall be simple andeconomical to manufacture, which shall require a minimum amount of powerto operate and which shall consist of but few parts so arranged that theparts will stand a long period of wear without interfering with theiroperation. I

7 Another object of this invention is to provide a deflector which alsoacts as a stacker to stack the slices on a receiving surface as they arecut by the slicing knife, it being preferable to arrange the receivingsurface below the supporting surface of the table upon which thesubstance is supported while being sliced.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings and described in the followingspecification, and it is more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a slicing machine showingone embodiment of the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1 with theslicing knife shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section substantially on line 33 of Fig. 2; a

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line H of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 5 -5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal-section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3; and A Fig. 7 is avertical section on line 77 of Fig. 2. r

The numeral 10 designates the frame of a slicing machine having theusual reciprocating table 11 mounted on a guide bar 12 o] and movablepast a rotary slicing knife 13 for presenting the material to the knifetobe sliced. Projecting forwardly from the base 10 is a bracket 15having a perforation 16 1926. Serial No. 123,044.

therein forholding bearing bushings 17 and 18 which are fixed therein. Aspider 19 is journalcd on the upwardly projecting portion ofthe bushing18 while the bushing 17 is journaled in a bracket 20 secured to thespider 19 by screws 21 and extending downwardly below the lower face ofthe bracket 15. The bracket 15 is provided with a recess for. receivinga ratchet wheel 22 interposed between the ends of the bushings 17 and18. A spring detent 23 engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 22 to holdit against rotation in one direction and a second pawl 24 is carried bya sleeve 25 mounted in the bracket 20 and engages the ratchet wheel 22to rotate the ratchet wheel when the spider 19 is rotated in acounter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4. A screw 26 extendsthrough the openings in the bushings 17 and 18 and is provided with aflange 27 at its lower end to limit upward movement of the'screw. A ball28 is carried in a sleeve 29 in the ratchet wheel 22 and engages thethreads, of the screw 26. The ball 28 is held in yielding contact withthe threads of the screw 26by a spring 30. The spider 19 is connected tothe reciprocating table 11 by means of a connecting rod 31 having oneend pivoted to the spider at 32 and the opposite end carried by adownwardly projecting pivot pin 33 mounted on a bracket 34 secured tothe end of the reciprocating table 11 by screws 35. It will be apparentfrom Fig. 2 thatreciprocation of the table 11 will be transmitted to thespider 19 which will reciprocate about the axis of the screw 26.

The edge of the spider 19 adjacent the machine frame is curved about theaxis of the.

screw 26 and is provided with an. upright plate 36 which extendsupwardly to a position just below the edge of the reciprocating table11. The ends of the plate 36 are continued forwardly in straightportions 37 and 38. The upper end of the screw 26 carries a horizontalplate 39 fixed to the screw 26 and shaped to fit within the contour ofthe plate 36. The shape of the plate 39 fitting within the plate 36constrains the screw 26' to oscillate in unison with the spider 19. Itwill be seen from Figs. 2 and/1 that when the table 11 moves forwardlyon a cutting stroke the spider 19will be moved in a counter-clockwisedirection and will carry the ratchet 22 with it, the ratchet teethmoving idly over the detent 23. There will be no relative movementbetween the ratchet wheel and screw 26 at this time since they alltravel in unison with one another. During the return move ment of thefeed table and spider 19, however, the ratchet wheel 22 will be heldagainst reverse rotation by the detent 23, while the pawl 24 will rideidly over the teeth of the ratchet wheel. This will permit the screw 26to rotate relative to the ratchet wheel 22 and impart a downwardmovement to the screw.

When the screw 26 reaches its lowermost p0 sition the ball 28 willregister with a circumferential notch 40 so that further reciprocationof the spider 19 will not affect the ver tical position of the screw.The threads of the screw 26 are rounded so that the ball 28 will yieldwhen upward tension is exerted on the knob 41 at the top end of thescrew. This makes it possible to return the plate 39 to its uppermostposition by lifting the knob 41 with sufficient force to overcome theresistance of the ball 28.

A slice deflector 42 is secured to an upright post 43 which is swiveledin a bracket 44 connected to the chain box 45 of the slicing machine bycap screws 46. The inner edge of the deflector 42, as shown in Figs. 5and 6, bears against the beveled face of the knife 13 closely adjacentthe edge of the knife.

The knives for slicing machines of this character are usually providedwith a long bevel indicated at 47, Fig. 5, and a shorter bevel 48adjacent the edge, the shorter bevel being formed by the grindingstones. The edge of the deflector 42 is preferably located just back ofthe circle which marks the conjunction of these two bevels. This leavesbut a very narrow rim of the knife exposed so that the slices are notpermitted to adhere to the surface of the knife as would sometimesotherwise occur. The deflector is yieldingly held in its operativeposition by a spring 49 secured to the bracket 44 by cap screws 50. Thisspring bears against a squared face of the post 43 and when outwardforce is exerted on the deflector 42 it may be swung away from the knife13 and the spring 49 will engage the side 51 of the post 43 and hold thedeflector in its open position, thus permitting cleaning of the knifeand deflector. The deflector may be adjustably supported on the post 43by screws 52 which extend through slots 53 in the deflector. Depressionsare provided in the post 43 for receiving the spring 49 which thus holdsthe post from accidental displacement from its socket. To remove thedeflectorit is only necessary to press the spring 49 inwardly which willfree the post and permit it to be lifted from its socket in the bracket44. It will be seen from the drawings that the operative face of thedeflector is provided with corrugations forming an interrupted contactsurface or limited contact lines for engaging the slices. Thecorrugations are provided with narrow edges forming substantially linecontacts with the slices as they move away from the slicing knife. 'Itwill be noted that the deflector surface is of peculiar contour, thecontact lines being directed generally outwardly and backwardly from thecutting edge of the knife. The lower lines are inclined slightlydownwardly, but the inclination decreases with the lines spaced fartherupwardly from the bottom of the deflector so that from midway of thedeflector the contact lines are substantially horizontal. The backwardinclination also decreases from the bottom of the deflector upwardly sothat the deflector surface is curved outwardly overhanging the bottomportion of the surface. From a point substantially on a horizontal linewith the axis of the knife the rear ends of the deflector lines arearranged approximately in a vertical line, as indicated in Fig. 1. Theparticular shape has been determined after careful and extendedexperiments to produce a shape which will direct the slices into ahorizontal position face down upon the receiving plate 39 as the slicesare severed from the knife. The limited contact area is of greatimportance since any adherence of the slices to the deflector plate willdistort the slice so that it will be crumpled up and will not beproperly deposited upon the receiving plate. In other words, thedeflector is such as to automatically effect uniform stacking of theslices upon the receiving plate immediately after belng sliced.

A slice support 54 is arranged ad acent the edge of the reciprocatingtable 11 in position to support the projecting portion of the materialwhich is severed by the knife 13 to form the slice. The support 54 iscarried by a bracket 55 which is fastened to the top of the base 10 byscrews 56. A projection 57 extends outwardly from the support 54adjacent the cutting edge of the knife 13 in position to support theslice as it passes away from the cutting edge. A projection 58 is formedat the bottom edge of the deflector 42, the projection 58 being slightlybelow the top face of the support 54 and in position to receive thelower edge of the slice as it moves away from the projection 57. It isfound desirable to have the projections 57 and 58 spaced a slightdistance from each other to prevent any material which is drawndownwardly by the knife 13 from being held between the projections. Theprojections should be sufficiently close together, however, to form asubstantially continuous support for the lower edge of the slice.

In operation, the plate 39 is raised to its uppermost position by meansof the knob 41 a on its cutting stroke the formed portion of and themeat or other material on the reciprocating table of the slicing machineis moved forwardly into position to be sliced by the knife 13. Themachine is then operated to reciprocate the table 11 and rotate theknife 13. As the slices are formed they are'directed outwardly until theforward end of the slice assumes a substantially flat position and restsupon the surface of the plate 39. The plate 39 is disposed downwardlyfrom the top surface of the reciprocating table 11 a sufficient amountto permit the end of the slice to assume a substantially horizontalposition Where it comes in contact with the plate 39. As the table 11continues to move the slice is' carried in the same direction by themovement of the plate 39 so that the slice is laid flat or substantiallyflat upon the upper face of the plate 39. In order to straighten anywrinkles or folds that may be formed in the slice the plate 39 is causedto move at a slightly greater rate of speed than the reciprocating table11. This will be apparent from Fig. 2 which shows the point ofconnection between the rod 31 and the spider 19 as spaced inwardly fromthe periphery of the spider. This imparts a greater rate of speed to theperiphery of the spider than that of the point 32 and consequently agreater rate of speed than the reciprocating table. The pivot point 32is located on the spider 19 in position to give a greater rate of speedat the'time that the slice is started than at other portions of theslicing movement. This is for the purpose of straightening out the frontend of the slice which otherwise might be folded or wrinkled due to thefact that the forward end drops downwardly some distance before itcontacts with the surface of the plate 39. It will be noted from Fig. 2that the curvature of the deflector 42 carries the end of the slicebeyond the abutment plate 36 to insure that the end of the slice will bedirected. onto the plate 39 within the inner side of the plate 36. Afterthe first slice has been deposited upon the receiving plate 39 the table11 andthe spider 19 will be returned to their init al position and atthe same time the plate 39 Wlll be fed downwardly. It will be noted thatthe screw 26 is comparatively steep and the amount of downward feed willbe greater than the thickness of the slices formed. This is desirablefrom the fact that the slices do not always lie perfectly flat and willoccupy more space after they are sliced than when in the original piece.The plate36 prevents the slices from being dislodged from the outer edgeof the plate 39 which would otherwise occur by centrifugal force. Theend sections 37 and 38 are in position to hold the slices from slidingon the receiving table when the direction of reciprocation of thereceiving table .is reversed. It will be seen that the operation is suchthat the slices are directed downwardly and outwardly and are stackeddirectly on the receiving table as they are severed from the piecewithout the intervention'of any moving carrier or transmitting device.The slices are stacked in position to be wrapped for the customerwithout the necessity of being handled and are therefore stackedautomatically and yet the mechanism for stacking the slices issufliciently simple and inexpensive that the addition to the cost of themachine is small.

As shown in Fig. 5, the front face 60 of the post 43 is held by thespring 49 in a plane parallel to the beveled face 47 of the knife 13 sothat when the deflector 42 is adjusted toward and away from the edge ofthe knife, the edge of the deflector will always remain close to thebeveled surface of the knife. As the knife is worn away the deflector 42is adjusted backwardly away from the edge of the knife and, theinclination of the face 60 of the post 43 will automatically move thedeflector forwardly so as to compensate for the increased thickness ofthe knife 13 due .to the bevel 47. The slice support 54 is alsoadjustably held by the screws 56 so that it may be adjusted to a properposition relative to the cutting edge of the knife, thus maintaining theproper relation between the proections 57 and 58.

Since the slice receiver is positioned below the top surface of the meattable, the'slices can fall free of relatively movableparts so that thestack of slices is not disarranged on the return movement of the slicereceiver. While it is desirable that the slice-receiver be positionedbelow the meat table, it is not necessary that the whole receiver be sopositioned but only that portion thereof that is adjacent the table andupon which the slices are deposited.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the abutment plate is closed at the sidetoward the knife by the portion 36 and closed at the sides by theportions 37 and 38 leaving the side toward the opera-tor unobstructed topermit easy access to the receiver for removing the slices and forcleaning the receiver. l/Vhile the slice receiver illustrated is pivotedfor oscillatory movement, it is essential only that the receiver beproperly mounted for movement with the movable meat table, it beingimmaterial whether the receiver oscillates or reciprocates in a straightrectilinear path.

I claim 1. The combination with aslicing machine having a reciprocatingtable and a slicing knife of a slice receiver having a receiving surfacebelow the surface of said table adj acent said knife, means for movingsaid receiver simultaneously in .the same direction with said table, andmeans for directing slices broad side down-on top of one another on saidsurface directly as they are severed from a piece on said reciprocatingtable.

2. The combination with a slicing machine having a reciprocating table,of a knife for severing material from a piece supported on said table, areceiving table having its receiving surface disposed below thesupporting surface of said reciprocating table, means for directingslices as they are severed from the piece on said reciprocating tabledirectly onto the surface of said receiving table, and means for movingsaid receiving table to cause the slice to be extended over the surfacethereof.

3. The combination with a slicing machine having a reciprocating tableand a knife for severing slices from material on said reciprocatingtable, of a receiving table, means for directing slices onto saidreceiving table directly as they are severed from a piece on saidreciprocating table, and means for adjusting said receiving tabledownwardly at intervals.

4. The combination with a slicing machine having a moving carriage and aknife for severing slices from material supported on said carriage, of atable for receiving the slices as -they are severed, and means formoving said receiving table ata greater rate than said carriage so thatslices deposited on said receiving table as they are severed will bedrawn forwardly relative to said carriage to straighten any folds orwrinkles in the slices.

5. The combination with a slicing machine having 'a reciprocatingworksupporting carriage and a. knife for severing slices from materialsupported on said carriage, of a receiving table having its receivingsurface disposed below the surface of said work supporting carriage,means for directing slices broad side down directly from the material onsaid carriage to said receiving table, and means for moving saidreceiving table in the general direction of movement of said worksupporting carriage and at a greater rate of speed than said worksupporting carriage. 6. The combination with a slicing machine having awork supporting table, a slicing knife, and means for reciprocating saidtable tocause said knife to sever slices from material on said table, ofa receiving table, means for directing slices onto said receiving tableas they are severed from a piece on said work supporting table, meansfor moving said receiving table at a greater rate of speed than saidwork supporting table and in the same general direction as said worksupporting table, and means for feeding said receiving table downwardlyat intervals.

7. In combination, a slicing machine having a reciprocating worksupporting table, a knife for severing slices from material on saidtable, a receiving table having'its receiving surface disposed below thesupporting surface of said work supporting table,

means for moving said receiving table simultaneously with said worksupporting table but at a greater rate of speed than said worksupporting table, and means for feeding said receiving table downwardlyat intervals.

8. In a slicing machine, a reciprocating table, a knife for severingslices from a piece carried by said table, a receiving table movable inan arc, means for directing slices from said reciprocating table ontosaid receiving table as they are formed by said knife, and means movablewith said receiving table for preventing dislodgment of material fromsaid receiving table by centrifugal force.

9. The combination with a slicing machine, of a receiving table movablein an arc, and an abutment on said receiving table and movable therewithfor preventing slices from being discharged therefrom by centrifugalforce. I

10. The combination with a slicing machine, of a support for receivingmaterial from said slicing machine, and'an abutment for preventingmaterial from being dislodged from said support, said support beingmovable vertically relative to said abutment.

11. The combination with a slicing machine having a reciprocating table,of a slice receiver comprising a receiving plate and an abutment havingits upper edge adjacent the supporting surface of said reciprocatingtable, said receiving plate being disposed at the side of said abutmentopposite said reciprocating table and below the upper edge of saidabutment.

12. The combination with a slicing machine having a reciprocating table,of a receiving table having its outer edge disposed adjacent the edge ofsaid reciprocating table, means for moving said receiving tablesimultaneousl with said reciprocating table, and an a utment disposedadjacent the outer edge of said receiving table and having its upperedge disposed adjacent the supporting surface of said reciprocatingtable.

13. The combination with a slicing machine having a reciprocating table,of a knife for severing slices from material on said table, a receivingtable having its outer edge disposed adjacent to but below thesupporting surface of said reciprocating table,

means for rotating said receiving table about an upright axis spacedoutwardly from the edge of said reciprocating table,.and an abutmentdisposed adjacent the outer edge of said receiving table and movabletherewith for preventing displacement of material from said receivingtable by centrifugal force.

1 1. The combination with a slicing machine having a reciprocating tableand a knife for severing slices from material on its said table, of areceiving table having its edge disposed adjacent the edge of said 1'9,-ciprocating table but lower than the supporting surface of saidreciprocating table, means for oscillating said receiving tablesimultaneously with the movement of said reciprocating table, anabutment plate disposed about the outer periphery of said face beingformed to provide substantially line contact portions for engaging theslices at spaced intervals on the surface of said slices.

16. The combination with a slicing machine having a cutting knife andmeans for moving material relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, of a deflector having a slice engaging face disposed at anangle to the cutting plane of said knife and having one edge of saidface positioned adjacent the cutting edge of said knife, said deflectorface being formed to provide substantially line contact portions forengaging the slice at spaced intervals on the surfaces of said slice,said line contact portions being arranged to extend substantially in thedirection of movement of the slice.

17. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife andmeans for moving material relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, of a deflector having a slice engaging facedisposed at anangle to the cutting plane of said knife,- said de ect'or'having contactribs sloping downwardly and outwardly from the edge thereof adjacent theknife.

18. The combinationwith a slicing machine having a slicing knife andmeans for moving material relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, of a deflectorhaving a slice engaging face disposed at anangle to the cutting plane of said knife and having one edge thereofdisposed adjacent the cutting edge of said knife, said deflector havingslice engaging ribs on said face sloping downwardly and outwardly fromsaid edge and having other ribs sloping outwardly from said edge butsubstantially horizontal.

19. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife andmeans for moving -material relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, of a deflector having a slice engaging face disposed at anangle t th C t g plane of said knife andha'v'ing one edge of said facedisposed adjacent the cutting edge of said knife, the edge of said faceaway from said knife having a substantially upright upper portion and alower'portion curved laterally in the direction of movement of theslices relative to said deflector to permit the upper portion of saidface to overhang the lower portion thereof.

20. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife andmeans for moving material relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, of a deflector having a slice engaging face disposed at anangle to the cutting plane of said knife and having one edge of saidface disposed adjacent the cutting edge of said knife, the lower portionof said slice engaging face being inclined at a lesser angle to thecutting plane of said knife than the upper portion thereof, said facehaving slice engaging ribs thereon, the ribs of the lower portion ofsaid face being inclined downwardly from the edge of said face adjacentthe cutting edge of said knife.

21. The combination with a slicing machine having' a slicing knife andmeans for moving material relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, of a deflector for directing slices away from said knife,said doflector having means thereon to support the lower edge of thesevered portion of a slice.

22. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife andmeans for moving material relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, of a deflector for directing slices away from the face ofsaid knife, said deflector having a ledge thereon in position to engagebeneath the lower edge of the severed portion of a slice to support saidedge as the slice is severed.

23. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife andmeans for moving material relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, of a deflector for directing slices away from said knife,means for supporting the lower edge of the slices as they are formed,the deflector being shaped to direct the upper edge of the sliceoutwardly to turn said slice broad side down.

24. The combination with a slicing ma chine having 'a slicing knife andmeans for moving fnaterial relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, of a deflector for directing the slices away from said knife,said deflector having a slice engaging face shaped to direct the topedges of the slices outwardly and to turn said slices broad side down,and a slice receiver positioned below said deflector for receiving saidslices in substantially horizontal position, said receiver being movablein the direction of movement of 1 slices therefrom, of a deflectorhaving a slice engaging face shaped to turn said slices broad side downas they are severed, a re ceiving table disposed below said deflector inposition to receive the slices from said deflector, and means for movingsaid receiving table in the direction of movement of said slices but ata greater rate of speed than that imparted to said slices by saidmaterial moving means. a

26. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife andmeans movable relative to said knife for presenting material to saidknife to sever slices therefrom, of a deflector for directing slicesaway from the face of said knife as they are severed, said deflectorhaving a limited contact slice engaging face shaped to turn the topedges of the slices outwardly, means for supporting the severed portionof the lower edges of said slices, and a receiving table movable in thedirection of movement of said slices as they are severed for receivingthe slices from said deflector.

27. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife andmeans movable relative to said knife for presenting material to saidknife to sever slices therefrom, of a deflector having a limited contactslice engaging face shaped to direct the top edges of said slicesoutwardly, means for supporting the lower edges of said slices as theyare severed, a slice receiving table movableabout an upright axis inposition to receive the slices from said deflector, and an abutment wallabout the outer periphery of said table for preventing slices from beingdisplaced by centrifugal force.

28. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife and areciprocating table for presenting material to said knife to be slicedof a slice support disposed adacent the cutting edge of said knife andhaving a projection thereon extending past said cutting edge at the sideopposite said reciprocating table, and a deflector for directing slicesaway from said knife, said deflector hating a projection thereon forreceiving the lower edge of the slice after it passes from theprojecting portion of said slice support. l

29. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife and areciprocating table for presenting material to said knife to be sliced.of a slice support disposed adjacent the cutting edge of said knife andhaving a projection thereon extending past said cutting edge at the sideopposite said reciprocating table, and a deflector for directing slicesaway from said knife, said deflector having a projection thereon forreceiving the lower edge of the slice after it passes from theprojecting portion of said slice support, said means being spaced fromsaid pro ecting portion a sufficient distance to prevent material fromeasily catching therebetween.

30. The combination with a slicing machine, of a, slice receivercomprising a support having an upright arcuate peripheral wall, a slicesupport disposed within said wall and movable vertically relativelythereto, and means for moving said support downwardly as slices aredeposited thereon.

31. The combination with a slicing machine, of a slice receivercomprising an upright arcuate wall, means for oscillating said receiverabout the axis of said upright wall, said wall having an abutmentportion at the end of the'arcuate portion thereof for holding slicesfrom displacement when the direction of movement of said receiver isreversed, and a supporting table disposed within the arcuate portion ofsaid wall.

32. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife and areciprocating table for presenting material to said knife to severslices therefrom, of a slice receiver having an upright arcuate wallmovable about the axis thereof and past the cutting edge of said knife,the top edge of said wall being disposed adjacent the supporting surfaceof said reciprocating table, a slice receiving table disposed withinsaid arcuate wall and below the upper edge thereof, and a deflector fordirecting slices into a recumbent position on said slice receivingtable.

33. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife and areciprocating table for presenting material to said knife to severslices therefrom, of a slice receiving table having its edge disposedadjacent the path of movement of said reciprocating table but below thesupporting surface of said reciprocating table, means for moving saidslice receiving table simultaneously with the movement of saidreciprocating table but at a greater rate of speed, an abutment forpreventing centrifugal displacement of slices from said slice receivingtable, said abutment being constrained to move in unison with said slicereceiving table, and a deflector for directing slices as they aresevered onto said slice receiving table.

34. The combination with a slicing knife, of a substance support, aslice receiver arranged adjacent the cutting edge of said knife and in aplane spaced from the supporting surface of said substance support, anda deflector for directing slices as they are severed onto said slicereceiver, said deflector being arranged toextend away from the cuttingedge of said knife past the outer edge of said receiver.

35. The combination with a slicing knife, of a carriage for presentingmaterial to said knife to sever slices therefrom, a receiver having anarcuate abutment plate disposed about the outer edge thereof, means formoving said receiver simultaneously with said carriage and in the samedirection, and a deflector for directing slices away from said knife,said deflector being positioned above the top of said abutment plate andextending to a position within the are formed by said abutment plate fordirecting slices from said knife onto said receiver.

36. The combination with a slicing knife, of a carriage for moving pastsaid knife to sever slices therefrom, a slice support having aprojection thereon extending beyond the cutting plane of said knife atthe side opposite said carriage, a receiver having an abutment platedisposed about the outer periphery thereof, the upper edge of saidabutment plate being below the supporting surface of i said slicesupport, and a. deflector for directing slices away from said slicingknife and past said abutment plate onto said receiver.

37. The combination with a slicing knife, of a slice support disposedadjacent the cutting edge of said knife and having a projection thereonextending past said cutting edge, a deflector having a projectionthereon in position to receive slices from the projection on said slicesupport, means for supporting said slice support for adjustment in thedirection of the cutting plane of said knife, and means for supportingsaid deflector for adjustment toward and away from the projection onsaid slice support.

38. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife and asubstance supporting table, of a slice receiver having its slicereceiving surface positioned sub stantially parallel with said substancesupporting table below the surface of said table adjacent the cuttingedge of said knife, and a deflector acting as a stacker for directingthe slices broad side down onto said receiving surface directly from thepiece as they are sliced, said deflector stacking the slices uniformlyon said receiving surface.

39. The combination'with a slicing machine having a slicing knife and awork supporting table movable past the edge of said knife, of a slicereceiver, means for moving said receiver with said table, and anabutment on said slice receiver to prevent dislodgment of the slicesthereon, said abutment extending partially around said receiver leavingthe operators side thereof unobstructed to permit easy access to saidreceiver.

40. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife and awork supporting table movable past the edge of said knife, of arotatably mounted slice receiver movable with said table, and anabutment on said slice receiver to prevent dislodgment ofthe slicesthereon, said abutment extending partially around said receiver leavingthe operators side thereof unobstructed to permit easy access to saidreceiver.

'41. A slicing machine comprising a slicing knife, :1 Work supportingtable movable past the edge of said knife, a slice receiver, means formoving said receiver in timed relation to the movement of said table,and an abutment adapted to move with said slice receiver, said abutmentbeing of suflicient height to prevent dislodgment of each and everyslice deposited thereon.

42. In a slicing machine, the combination with a slicing knife, of meansfor moving with a slicing knife, of means for moving material relativeto said knife, and a deflector for the slices formed by said knife, saiddeflector having means thereon for preventing any substantial resistanceto the movement of the slices thereover so as to prevent buckling of theslices, said last-mentioned means comprising a plurality of relativelyrestricted contact surfaces extending in substantially the direction inwhich the slices move over the surface of said deflector, said contactsurfaces being adapted to contact with said slices during substantiallythe entire period of engagement of each slice with said deflector.

44. In a slicing machine, the combination with a slicing knife, of meansfor moving material relative to said knife to sever slices therefrom, adeflector having a contact face disposed at an angle to the cuttingplane of said knife, and means on said deflector for preventing slicesfrom adhering to said face comprising relatively narrow contact portionson said face extending in substantially the direction in which theslices move over said face, said contact portions contacting with theslices during substantially the entire period of movement of each sliceover the face of said deflector.

45. In a slicing machine, the combination with a slicing knife, of meansfor moving material relative to said knife to sever slices therefrom,and a deflector for said slices hav ing an interrupted contact surfaceto prevent said slices from adhering to said deflector, said interruptedcontact surface comprising a plurality of projections for supporting theslices in spaced relation to the body portion of i of a slice over thesurface of the deflector is gradually varied so as to change itsposition relative to the cutting plane of the knife.

46. In a slicing incahine, the combination with a reciprocating table,of a slicing knife, a slice receiver having its receiving surfacepositioned substantially perpendicular with the cutting plane of saidknife and below and adjacent to the materialsupporting surface of saidreciprocating table for receiving slices directly as they are cut, adeflector acting as a stacker for depositing slices directly onto saidreceiving surface as they are cut, and means for moving said slicereceiver simultaneously with said reciprocating table past the cuttingedge of said knife, said deflector stacking said slices in regular orderon said receiving surface. v

47. In a slicing machine, the combination with a slicing knife, of awork supporting table movable past the edge of said knife, a slicereceiver, means for moving said receiver in timed relation with themovement of said table toward said slicing knife, and an abut ment onsaid slice receiver to prevent dislodgment of the slices on saidreceiver, said abutment being of sufiicient height to prevent thedislodgment of each slice after it is stacked on said table.

48. In a slicing machine, the.combination with a slicing knife, of awork supporting table movable past the edge of said knife, a rotatablymounted slice receiver movable with said table, and an abutment on saidslice receiver of sufficient height to prevent dislodgment of all slicesstacked on said receiver.

49. A slicing machine comprising a slicing knife, and a deflector fordeflecting slices away from said knife after said slices are cut from asubstance by said slicing knife, said deflector having grooves in thesurface thereof extending in substantially the same direction as thepath of movement of said slices during their movement away from saidknife, said grooves forming raised portions therehetween for reducingthe resistance offered by said deflector to the movement of said slicesover the surface of said deflector, said raised portions contactingwith-said slices during substantially the entire movement of said slicesover the surface of said deflector.

50. In a slicing machine, the combination rocating table, of a knife forcutting slices from a substance supported on said table, a slicereceiver having a receiving surface be low the surface of said tableadjacent said knife, means for moving said receiver simultaneously andin the same direction as said table while the slices are'being cut, andan abutment on said receiver for preventing the slices from beingdislodged from said receiver.

52. In a slicing machine, the combination with a slicing knife, of meansfor moving material relative to said knife to sever slices therefrom,and a deflector for said slices havhaving means thereon for preventingsubstantial distortion of said slices as they contact with saiddeflector, said last-mentioned means comprising relatively restrictedcontact portions arranged on the slice-engaging surface of saiddeflector and in proximity to the forward edge of said slice deflectorto thereby reduce the resistance offered by the deflector to themovement of the slice thereover.

'53. In a slicing machine, the combination with a slicing knife, ofmeans for moving material relative to said knife to sever slicestherefrom, and a deflector for deflecting slices away from said knifecomprising a slice deflector having a plurality of spaced ribs arrangedadjacent the forward edge of said deflector and extending substantiallyin the direction of the movement of said slices over the surface of saiddeflector.

54. The combination with a slicing machine having a slicing knife and areciprocating table for presenting material to said knife to be sliced,of a slice receiver mounted adjacent the cutting edge of said knife andhaving its receiving surface disposed below the surface of saidreciprocating table, said receiver having a flange thereon, the top edgeof said flange being above the surface of said receiver but not abovethe surface of said reciprocating table.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this11th day of July, A. D. 1926.

JOSEPH FOLK.

